The difference in our last game was turnovers. Mcgahee was an issue losing 4 fumbles in 4 games straight. It's hard to win any game with 3 turnovers especially against you guys. I notice alot of fans here say the score was 31-7 at one point....yeah but it ended 31-21 which obviously points to the 2 turnover differential. IMO if we meet again, it'll comedown to the turnover battle. This isn't to take anything away from your win.You guys got an opportunistic D with a dominating O but I think we match up better than some think. It's amazing how far we've come in 2 years since your OC completely demolished our team...don't like him very much lol. Anyways here's to no injuries and maybe we'll see each other soon, Cheers!
And Demaryius Thomas fumbled on the first series, which changed the momentum of the game. Bottom line is, what happened earlier this year has no bearing on what will happen in Denver, other than a possible glimpse into the matchups.
I will say that it seems Denver's defense does not seem to match up well with the Patriots. Three consecutive games where the Pats offense completely buried the Broncos defense in the first half, putting the games out of reach. I realize that the offense has improved significantly, and the defense has improved as well, but I do wonder if Denver does not match up well with tight ends and slot receivers... it certainly wouldn't be the first time where a defense is fantastic but cannot do anything right against the Patriots (we saw it for years with Pittsburgh.)
On the other hand, it looks like Denver really does have a true homefield advantage in that altitude, as most of the games I've seen this year have shown a different second half team that simply steps on the neck of opponents.
The Patriots have beaten Manning on the road just once, albeit they only had like three tries, since 2004. I just don't see the Pats walking into Denver and beating the Broncos soundly... if anything, they'll need to build up a lead into the 4th and pray that the inevitable comeback falls just short. It has been a staple of the Patriots over the last 3-4 years to play very poorly on the road in crunch time, and Denver seems to hit their stride in the second half.
If I were a betting man, I'd probably pick the Broncos if this scenario happens, but I couldn't put the spread at more than 2 points, and I wouldn't be surprised in any bit if the Pats were able to pull it off, simply because their offense is more explosive, better in the red zone, and more likely to control the clock.
